Danny Henley: Adopting a Cover 2' defense in life

Danny Henley

Tuesday

Jan 26, 2010 at 12:01 AMJan 26, 2010 at 8:19 AM

A “Cover 2” defense in football can leave head coaches with ulcers and fans pulling their hair out in clumps. However, a “Cover 2” approach to life isn’t necessarily bad, particularly if you’re even reasonably satisfied with your life.

During the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, my oldest son, Caleb, was in town. During the course of his stay Caleb asked a question that I honestly hadn’t given a lot of thought: What are my goals for 2010?

I didn’t sense he was asking about the silly resolutions that I, like so many other people, are inclined to make on Jan. 1 and have forgotten by Jan. 3.

- I resolve to put the toilet seat down, especially if I’m the last one to use the toilet before all the lights are turned off at night. (That’s one that my wife, Nancy, particularly appreciates me keeping.)

- I resolve to eat better. (More fruits and vegetables and less of the stuff I really prefer eating.)

- I resolve to try and do more “honey do” jobs around the house. (Nancy is not as keen on me keeping this resolution since she generally has to redo whatever I’ve “fixed.”)

Instead of a New Year’s resolution written in sand, I think my son was looking for something more substantial, more long-term and more life-changing from me. After considering his query for a few moments, all I could offer in response were a couple of vanilla objectives.

I wouldn’t have blamed my son for feeling the same type of frustration with me that a job interviewer experienced when talking with a young woman who had applied for a job in a gift shop.

An avid soccer player, she continued to talk about her on-the-field accomplishments. Finally, trying to steer the interview back to her job qualifications, he asked, “So, tell me about your long-range goals.”

After considering the question, the young woman replied, “Once I kicked the ball in from midfield.”

When I was younger, I was not afraid to take a risk, to speak my mind and even “rock the boat” a bit. Over time, however, I’ve learned that risks must be closely scrutinized, especially when you have a family counting on you. I’ve learned that it’s better to have a reputation for being soft spoken than outspoken. I’ve learned that frequently the only thing a “boat rocker” accomplishes is making everyone in the boat with him sick to their stomach.

In short, my goals in life have become almost defensive in nature as I attempt to forgo making the “big” mistake. I liken my approach to life with a defensive strategy frequently employed by football teams late in games when they are trying to protect a slim lead.

In the “Cover 2” defense, backs are stationed deep in the secondary to prevent the offense from completing a big play. However, teams with a decent offense, which of course excluded the 2009 Rams, will often exploit this defense by taking the 10- and 15-yard gains they are being given. Frequently, the offensive unit still moves down the field and does what the defense had so desperately been trying to prevent - score.

A “Cover 2” defense in football can leave head coaches with ulcers and fans pulling their hair out in clumps. However, a “Cover 2” approach to life isn’t necessarily bad, particularly if you’re even reasonably satisfied with your life.

A “Cover 2” outlook to life enables me to say that my goal for 2010 is simply stated in Hebrews 12:14.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Danny Henley writes for the Hannibal Courier-Post in Hannibal, Mo.

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